This invention relates to simulators and, more specifically, to an apparatus for simulating the operating characteristics of an internal combustion automobile engine.
In U.S. patent application Ser. No. 108,495 filed Dec. 31, 1979, and assigned to the same assignee as the present application, there is described an automatic idle speed (AIS) control apparatus for use on an internal combustion engine of the type commonly found in automobiles. In U.S. patent application Ser. No. 108,496, also filed Dec. 31, 1979, and assigned to the same assignee as the present application, there is described development apparatus for a fuel control system for an automobile engine. The apparatus described in this latter application is used to simulate the apparatus described in the former application, thus to facilitate development of the control apparatus. In practice, the development apparatus is installed on an automobile to verify the operational strategy of the control apparatus and improve its performance. The control apparatus itself is intended for permanent installation on an automobile to both automatically control engine idle speed and the air-fuel ratio of a mixture produced in a carburetor installed on the engine and supplied to the engine for combustion.
The control apparatus is intended for use with a multiplicity of engines which may have 4, 6, or 8 cylinders. Because of the time and expense involved in obtaining a variety of multi-cylinder engines with which to test the control apparatus and, because of the time and expense involved in installing and removing the control apparatus on the engines for test, modification or checkout, a test and development tool is needed which can be conveniently used in a laboratory to interface with the control or development apparatus. Such a test tool must be capable of simulating each of the many types of engines with which the control apparatus is used.